So when some conservatives complain about Section 230, what they are really complaining about is the way that the First Amendment (which Congress is in no position to weaken or ignore) works in this case. That’s not a good look. What’s more, they ought to appreciate the way that Section 230 reduces the potential legal consequences and costs of carrying what some on the left might, fairly or unfairly, deem “dangerous misinformation.”
In the absence of Section 230’s legal liability shield, it would be a safer bet for platforms to just take down anything that even hints at the threat of provoking legal action. Conservatives can guess that climate-change skepticism, push-back on green-energy mandates, and traditional religious opinions on abortion, sexual activities, and gender issues will be first to go.
Opponents of those opinions are often outspoken and motivated to take legal action. The associated costs of litigating every one of those cases might cripple even midsized platforms, such as Twitter, to say nothing of smaller competitors like Truth Social, the new platform of Twitter super-user turned super-critic, former president Donald Trump.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member